Schlesinger claims District 2 race over Ficklin | News

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Laurence Schlesinger has claimed victory in the District 2 runoff over Henry Ficklin.

Unofficial results show that Schlesinger won by 370 votes out of about 1,900 cast.

With all six precincts, absentee and early votes counted, the county website and printouts given to the media showed Schlesinger had 1,136 votes, 60 percent. Ficklin had 766 votes, 40 percent.

Through much of the evening, the website totals differed from those on the office printouts; election officials blamed that on a technical problem.

Around 9 p.m., Schlesinger told 13WMAZ's Katelyn Heck that he considered it a "decisive victory" that would stand even if Ficklin challenges the results again.

It's the third time the two former Macon city councilmen have faced off in the last four months.

Schlesinger led the field in September, a race that eliminated a third candidate, Paul Bronson.

He also apparently won a runoff in October by 26 votes, but Ficklin challenged the results.

Both voters were marred by board of elections errors that caused people to vote in the wrong commission races or not at all.

In November, a judge ordered a new runoff.

The board of elections says 400 people voted last week in six days of early voting.

The district runs from parts of east Macon through the downtown to parts of south Macon.

Tonight's winner will become the final member of the new nine-member Bibb County Commission. The other members of the new consolidated government, including Mayor Robert Reichert, were sworn in Dec. 31.